The 2021-22 college basketball season is almost over. The Final Four is days away, and soon we will crown an NCAA Tournament champion.

But before anyone cuts down the nets in Minneapolis, there are individual awards to hand out. Here are my picks for the top players and coach in college basketball this season:

Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A few weeks ago, I broke down the cases for Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston in the Player of the Year race. I settled on Boston as my POY, and that hasn’t changed. I won’t rehash the entire argument, but I will say this: If you aren’t sure why Boston should win the award, turn on a replay of South Carolina’s Elite Eight win over North Carolina and settle into your spot on the couch. Her performance in that game tells you everything you need to know.

Boston’s 28-point and 22-rebound performance epitomizes exactly what she has brought to the court all season. The junior’s ability to block and alter shots, and altogether change the way South Carolina’s opponents play by making them avoid the paint, make her the clear choice for this award.

Boston is Battling 💪

9 PTS | 9 REB already 🤯#MarchMadness x @GamecockWBB pic.twitter.com/NeWNaeeQ6m

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 25, 2022

Defensive Player of the Year

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

A big part of Boston’s POY campaign has been her defense, so my gut was telling me all season that she should win Defensive Player of the Year as well. Stanford’s Cameron Brink is also a solid contender, so here is a statistical breakdown of the two.

Per Her Hoop Stats, Boston averages 11.7 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes compared to Brink’s 10, and 1.8 steals to Brink’s 1.6. The Stanford sophomore ranks better in blocked shots, with 4.8 per 40 minutes, compared to Boston’s 3.5, but the category that truly tips this race in Boston’s favor is fouls. She averages just two fouls in 40 minutes of action, while Brink averages 5.1. In order to make a defensive impact, you have to stay on the floor, and South Carolina’s star is able to do that.

Coach of the Year

Wes Moore, NC State

In his ninth season as NC State head coach, Wes Moore put together his best performance. The Wolfpack recorded their best record during his tenure (32-4) and won the ACC regular season in 32 years. And after three straight Sweet 16s, Moore — who was named ACC Coach of the Year — led his team to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. The first came in 1998. NC State was consistent all season, losing just four games and finishing the year on a 13-game win streak that ended with a thrilling double-overtime loss to UConn on Monday.

Freshman of the Year

Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame

Every play for Notre Dame can be traced back to freshman point guard Olivia Miles. Her passing, decision-making and ability to dictate the flow of a game are all reasons why she’s my Freshman of the Year. Miles averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game, the latter of which ranks second in the country behind Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. She also led Notre Dame to the Sweet 16, the program’s first under second-year coach Niele Ivey.

HOW?!? 😱@oliviamiles06 | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/M4Ba383Onc

— Notre Dame WBB (@ndwbb) March 26, 2022

All-American First Team

Aliyah Boston, Junior, F, South Carolina

16.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.5 blocks

Based on my previous choice for POY and DPOY, Boston heading up the All-American team doesn’t need any more of an explanation.

Caitlin Clark, Sophomore, G, Iowa

27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists

Clark led the country in both assists and points per game this year, and her scoring prowess is unmatched. She can shoot logo 3-pointers, finish off balance at the rim and score in the mid range.

Haley Jones, Junior, G, Stanford

12.9 points, 3.7 assists, 7.8 rebounds

Jones has been the anchor for a Stanford team that is playing in the Final Four for the second year in a row. She does a little bit of everything for the Cardinal, while also posing a serious mismatch for opponents thanks to her versatility as a scorer.

Great pass Haley Jones ( @haleyjoness19 ) to Anna Wilson ( @a_willy03 )!!!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/lDu4FlC90q

— Antonio Garcia (@Iruk_WomenSport) March 28, 2022

Rhyne Howard, Senior, G, Kentucky

20.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists

Throughout the season, Howard showcased her basketball IQ and offensive skill while leading Kentucky in scoring. The senior creates her own shot better than almost anyone else in the country.

NaLyssa Smith, Senior, F, Baylor

22.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks

Smith led Baylor offensively with her ability to face up and create from the free-throw line. The Bears played through Smith and counted on her to rebound and score in every contest.

All-American Second Team

Elissa Cunane, Senior, C, NC State
Cameron Brink, Sophomore, F, Stanford
Ashley Joens, Senior, G/F, Iowa State
Maddy Siegrist, Junior, F, Villanova
Ayoka Lee, Senior, C, Kansas State

All-American Third Team

Aneesah Morrow, Freshman, F, DePaul
Kierstan Bell, Junior, G, Florida Gulf Coast
Khayla Pointer, Grad Student, G, LSU
Angel Reese, Sophomore, F/G, Maryland
Elizabeth Kitley, Senior, C, Virginia Tech

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

With half of the Elite Eight now set, a few Big Ten underdogs still have a shot at disrupting the No. 1 seed stronghold at the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend.

The No. 3-seed Purdue Boilermakers are through to the quarterfinals after defeating No. 2-seed SMU 3-1 on Thursday, while the No. 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers, No. 3 seed-Wisconsin Badgers, and the still-undefeated overall No. 1 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers all face stiff Sweet Sixteen competition on Friday afternoon.

Coming off a strong regular season, the Big Ten could still field half of the quarterfinal round — though that would require the first No. 1-seed upset of the 2025 national tournament in the form of an Indiana victory over top-seeded Texas.

Bolstered by their defensive leader, senior middle blocker Madi Sell, the Hoosiers booked just their second-ever Sweet Sixteen trip with last week's win over No. 5 Colorado, with Indiana now hoping their lucky run continues against the 2022 and 2023 champion Longhorns.

Meanwhile, the No. 1 Huskers will look to keep rolling against No. 4-seed Kansas while the No. 3 Badgers aim to snag another Big Ten spot in the Elite Eight by ousting No. 2-seed Stanford on Friday.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament this weekend

The NCAA volleyball tournament's Sweet Sixteen action will wrap with four games on Friday, starting with No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Indiana at 12 PM ET.

The Elite Eight will then meet at the net on Saturday and Sunday to determine the last-standing teams heading to next week's Final Four in Kansas City.

All of this weekend's NCAA tournament games will air live across ESPN platforms.

Team USA is on a roll, officially taking the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada before the slate of friendlies is even over, with the US collecting three consecutive wins so far — and one shot left at making it a clean sweep.

The US downed their northern neighbors by a commanding 10-4 scoreline in Edmonton on Wednesday, marking Team USA's first-ever 10-goal victory against the reigning Olympic champs — all while upping the 2025 series' goal tally to 20-6.

While each team fine-tunes rosters ahead of the 2026 Olympics, one test remains for both international hockey titans before the Winter Games take the ice in February.

"The work doesn't stop. Our Olympic team is not named. There's still one more game to go," said USA captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, acknowledging that her squad is not taking their foot off the gas despite the recent lopsided results.

"We have one more game against them before the Olympics," echoed Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin. "We're all aware of that."

How to watch Team USA vs. Canada in the 2025 Rivalry Series

The puck drops on the final match of the sixth annual hockey Rivalry Series between the USA and Canada in Edmonton, Alberta, on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will begin at 9 PM ET on the NHL Network.

The latest FIFA women's soccer rankings dropped on Thursday, with Spain widening their lead at No. 1 after winning a second consecutive UEFA Nations League title earlier this month.

The USWNT held steady at No. 2, ceding 7.48 points after losing an October friendly to No. 22 Portugal before going on to secure four straight wins over Portugal, No. 35 New Zealand, and No. 13 Italy to close out 2025.

Elsewhere in the FIFA Top 10, No. 3 Germany and No. 6 Brazil both saw boosts after successful fall runs, while Canada skidded to No. 10 amid a recent five-match winless streak, with Les Rouges's last victory coming against No. 43 Costa Rica last June.

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The biggest changes, however, occurred outside the top ranks, as No. 96 Nicaragua, No. 118 Burkina Faso, and No. 137 American Samoa all rose by 16 spots.

Notably, upcoming USWNT opponent Paraguay saw the largest drop in this month's Top 50, sliding five spots to No. 46.

Ultimately, as the USWNT battled to keep pace in a year of roster experimentation — and without a major competition on the team's 2025 docket — the many international competitions in Europe benefitted victors and challenged losers in this week's FIFA rankings update.

The No. 16 USC Trojans are gearing up for another top-ranked test, hosting the reigning national champion No. 1 UConn Huskies in the weekend's flashiest NCAA women's basketball matchup on Saturday.

Coming off their second ranked win of the season, USC topped No. 20 Washington 59-50 last Sunday, with 22 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jazzy Davidson helping pull the Trojans to a 7-2 record.

"I saw a resolve in our team," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb afterwards. "I knew we could get the next stop, I knew we could get the next play."

USC will face a particularly familiar foe against the Huskies — this time without sidelined star junior JuJu Watkins — after UConn knocked the Trojans out of the NCAA tournament two years in a row.

Notably, sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel departed USC over the summer for the Huskies, with the former Trojan averaging 7.7 points per game entering Saturday's clash with her old team.

"I just try to take one game at a time, but I'm excited to go back," Heckel said ahead of her first trip back to LA since transferring. "I had a great freshman year there, and I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, a lot of fond memories. So I'm looking forward to it."

How to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 USC on Saturday

The Trojans will host the Huskies with tip-off set for 5:30 PM ET on Saturday.

Live coverage of the clash will air on FOX.